White Tiger phrases

At the Shiro Tora we have adopted a number of handy catchphrases which are both inspirational and informative:

Accentuate the Positive, Eliminate the Negative.

Absorb What Is Useful, Discard What is Useless, Add What is specifically your own.

Having no way as Way, Having no limitation as limitation.

If you see it taught, you see it fought.

Higher Consciousness through harder contact.

The moment of truth is in the fight.

Step don't stretch

Don't be afraid to get some dirt on your shirt

Hit Hard - Hit Fast - Hit First!




Some explanations:

Accentuate the Positive, Eliminate the Negative.
Focusing on what you are good at, you can work to maintain and improve on these elements. It's also a great advantage in combat to play to your strengths.
Focusing on what you are not so good at you can work to improve, eliminate your weaknesses and become a complete martial artist and a fully functional fighter.

Absorb What Is Useful, Discard What is Useless, Add What is specifically your own.
A maxim from JKD. Does exactly what it says. Absorb what is useful (including what you learn here), discard what is useless (including what you learn here) and add what is your own. Become your own fighter, your own martial artist and your own person, not just a carbon copy or clone. The creative, free thinking individual is more important than any established system.

Having no way as Way, Having no limitation as limitation.
Also from JKD. Keeps in mind "the creative, free thinking individual is more important than any established system". We can train in any drill, technique or concept from any martial art, method or system. We are not bound by any constraints or restrictions, set routines or "syllabus".

If you see it taught, you see it fought.
We got this phrase from the Dog Brothers. Quite simply, everything we do has a combat application, from punches and kicks, to traps, to chi sao, to sinawalli, to nunchaku manipulations. It all works in sparring and it all has application in real life. Nothing is just flashy or show or "for the sake of it".

Higher Consciousness through harder contact.
Another great Dog Brothers maxim. For those who like hard and full contact sparring and competition, whether that be boxing, kickboxing, Thai, weapons combat, or those who just like to slam the mat hard, there is a lot to be learnt from this. Not everyone has to do it, but those who do are not "decending" to some more primative, thug-like level, quite the opposite in fact.

The moment of truth is in the fight
A great maxim from Vale Tudo. You can have all the concept, theory and drilling you like but ultimately this will just be "land swimming". You need to "get in the water" to see if you can really do it.
Hence our fully comprehensive, all ranges, all weapons sparring program. For those who want to do competition, in whatever format, we encourage it. And for street fighting and self protection, our program has been tested "on the doors" over a period of years.

Step don't stretch
An original one of ours. If you can't reach his elbow for a trap or lock don't stand there with your feet stuck to the floor stretching til you're off balance. Take a step nearer.

Don't be afraid to get some dirt on your shirt
This is something we coined in the early classes. Don't worry if somebody's shoe gets dirt on your shirt. Go for the contact. Stick it in the wash when you get home!

Hit Hard - Hit Fast - Hit First!
We're not sure who said this first, but it's sound advice. Use the Fence and Pre-Emptive strike and end the fight before it's begun. Everything else is backup.